Tubing: Go with the flow
There exists no other activity more quintessentially “summer” than plopping one’s rear down in an inflatable ring and surrendering oneself to the river, exerting little to no effort as the cool, lapping waters steer one along a meandering, leisurely journey.
It’s true—one hasn’t fully immersed oneself in the mountain way until one has been river tubing, and nowadays, there’s more than one way to dive in.
{module Share this!|none}Plenty of folks still hit up their local mechanics for the old truck inner tubes—we’ll call this the “vintage” tubing experience. The tire shops will part with the tubes for about $10 to $15 a pop, inflate them, and send tubers about their way. But if wrestling with a lopsided black tube isn’t one’s idea of a good time, there’s no reason to rough it. Area department stores and drug stores have wised up to mountain pastimes, offering a variety of river tubes for sale and an even greater assortment of tubes online. Look for tubes made from heavy-duty vinyl and with Boston valves for easier inflating and deflating.
While the locals can likely point out safe and popular put-in and take-out locations on area rivers, one might save some trouble or anxiety by visiting a local tubing outfitter—and save the cost and maintenance of a tube, too. From the Smokies to the Blue Ridge, a host of outfitters have made affordable river fun their life’s calling. Kelly McCoy of RiverGirl Fishing Company in Todd, N.C., is one of them.
“I grew up in Alabama—I grew up with those inner tubes, and you would get scraped up. Back then you didn’t have outfitters that helped transport you; you had to figure it out yourself,” recalled McCoy. “Nowadays, what we use are really comfortable tubes that have backrests, cup holders, ropes, and carabineers.” The carabineers allow tubes to be tethered together, say with tubes with bottoms in them for the younger kids or special tubes for coolers that will float along one’s picnic lunch, water, and other beverages.
RiverGirl is located in a historic train depot in Todd, where Elk Creek flows into the South Fork of the New River. In addition to tubing trips, RiverGirl offers fly-fishing excursions and boat and bicycle rentals. “Out of everything that we do…tubing is the number one thing that we do out of the shop,” McCoy said. “You sit in a tube and you float; you literally just go with the flow of the river. It’s absolutely the best way to de-stress.”
Thought to be the second oldest river in the world after the Nile, the New, with its slow, calm and shallow waters, is perfect for tubing, with sections from North Carolina to West Virginia safe and suitable for floating. And if you’re quiet or with a small group, you might catch a glimpse of the diverse fauna that inhabit the river: a mother duck with her row of ducklings, an otter swimming from one bank to another, or a heron fishing downstream.
Of course, the North Carolina High Country hasn’t cornered the market on river tubing; in the mountains there’s always a good float within driving distance. There’s the Holston River system in southwestern Virginia and east Tennessee. The French Broad, which flows from North Carolina’s Transylvania County, through Asheville, and into Tennessee. Deep Creek is just outside of Bryson City, N.C., while the Oconaluftee flows through Cherokee. The Davidson River outside of Brevard, N.C., is another popular run, and near Chattanooga, Tenn., are the Hiwassee and Ocoee Rivers. Remember that some sections of mountain rivers are better suited for whitewater rafting or kayaking and may not be safe for tubing, so always follow the guidance of experts in selecting a location.
Bring water shoes to wear, as well as a change of clothes for after the trip.
In the mountain summers, the water temperatures are perfect—not too cold, not too hot.
“We get tons of people from Charlotte, Raleigh, Wilmington because it’s so hot down there,” McCoy said. “I think there is a general consensus that tubing up in the mountains—it’s a cooler place.”